In this episode of the Wolffpack Fitness podcast, I discuss some of the most important reasons why you should think twice about playing recreational sports to get in shape. I start off by talking about my life experience as an athlete, and how I eventually settled into recreational sports, sustained through consistent training in the gym. Then I help you answer the following question: “Is it better to play sports to get in shape, or get in shape to play sports?” by sharing some anecdotal information from personal interactions I’ve had with adults who have been playing recreational sports for varying lengths of time, and have been afflicted with either acute or chronic injuries, despite good intentions about improving and maintaining their health and fitness. Then I get into some research studies on injury rates in several common sports that many people play recreationally. I expand on the types of injuries that are common in these sports, and why they tend to occur. I finish up the episode with some recommendations on what types of exercises you should be doing to minimize your risk of sustaining an injury, and maximize your performance so you can have more fun, while playing your recreational sport for a very long time. As always, I end the episode with an action item for you to work on to optimize your lifestyle and live your best life.
Resources
Wolffpack Fitness free programs and guides: www.wolffpackfitness.com/free-programs
Wolffpack Fitness YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/@wolffpackfitness
Instagram Profile: @coach_awolff
Pickleball injury review article: https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/jpah/21/9/article-p847.xml
Basketball injury review article: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00913847.2018.1424496#d1e399
Soccer injury article: https://opensportssciencesjournal.com/contents/volumes/V12/TOSSJ-12-28/TOSSJ-12-28.pdf
Ice hockey injury article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0972978X20301616
Health benefits of ice hockey article: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02640414.2016.1151923#abstract
Exercise List